Projects Page 2012-2013

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leac-tem1

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Title

Ice thickness, air temp, and water temp

Problem Scenario

To know what makes the ice thicker or more thin.

Broad Question

Does the thickness of the ice and the air temperature affect the water temperature?

Specific Question

Does the temperature of the air affect the ice temperature?

Hypothesis

I think the temperature does because the air has to be cold for the ice to be thick and cold.

Graph of Hypothesis

leac-tem1_graph_1.pngleac-tem1_graph_2.png

Variables

Independent Variable:

Ice

Dependent Variable:

Temperature

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

location of hole
depth in water

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

Auger: Used to cut a perfect hole in the ice.

General Plan

I will go out onto the ice and cut a hole through the ice and put the thermometer down into the water. I will also measure the ice and write down the data.

Potential Problems And Solutions

The ice melting before I finish the experiment, make it every three days instead of once a week.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

Not to go on thin ice and be careful with the auger.

Experimental Design

Item to be described

I got the temperature probe from Mr.Biche and the thermometer

Methods of observation


Measurements to be collected

Resources and Budget Table

Item
 Where I'll get this
 Estimated Cost
Poster Board
 Staples
 $5.00
extra long temperature Probe
 Mr.Biche
 Free


Background Research

Water is one of the most interesting things on Earth and the most important. My project is about ice and water on Conway Lake. One of the most interesting things I observed was a lake turnover. A lake turnover happens when a cold winter storm occurs. That’s why I noticed there was a huge ice thickness difference after we had a big snow storm.

Water holds heat, so when there’s more water, it will hold the heat a lot more. Conway Lake isn’t very deep, so it won’t hold as much heat. Also the shallower the water is, it takes less time for it to freeze over. The water freezes from the outer edges to the center because the outer edges are shallow and there isn’t much heat to freeze. The lake also melts from the outer edges to the center, but it mostly depends on if a part of the ice is in the shade, then the ice will melt in a lot of different places.

My projects purpose has a few different reasons, to determine the patterns of ice measurements and water temperatures. Some of the patterns that I found, were the differences in the water temperature. The temperature barely changed at all, and when you compare the temperature on February 15th and March 13th, there isn’t much of a difference. The water temperature doesn’t change as much except when the hours of sunlight change.

The second reason to figure out what causes the water temperature to change, whether it’s the air temperature or the ice thickness because it would be a cool fact to know. If it is the thickness, then I would know if the water is really cold when we have a snow storm or another weather pattern. Also in the summer, I would want to know if the water is colder when the air is warmer and the water is warmer when the air is cold.

The last reason I would like to do this experiment, is because it seemed interesting to find out more about the ice patterns and what a lake turnover is and how it works. The best observation I got out of my project was after a big snowstorm, the built up snow became a part of the ice after it was really cold over the nights and a winter mix occurred. Which is known as the lake turnover. The purpose was to find facts like that and observe the change in measurement.

References

"Seasonal Lake Statification." 404 Not Found. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm>.


"A Quick Lesson On lakes." Lakes Environmental Association. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://mainelakes.org/?page_id=128>.



Rufer, Moriya. "When and How Do Lakes Freeze Ove." Pelican Lake Proptery Owners Association (PLPOA). Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.pelicanlakemn.org/Education/Lake_Learning/when_and_how_do_lakes_freeze_ove.htm>.



PhD, Keith Heidorn. "Fall/Spring Lake Turnover." Weather Elements:. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/turnlakes.htm>.

Detailed Procedure

I started by cutting a decent sized hole through the ice with the auger. Then I took the extra long temperature probe and put the wire through the hole and into the water in Celsius about a foot down. I waited for the correct temperature to come up and recorded the results for the water that day. Then I measured the air temperature in Celsius and recorded it down on the same sheet. Lastly I measured the ice thickness in centimeters with a meter stick and recorded that.

Diagram


Photo List

Photos of doing the experiment on the ice.

Results

All Raw Data

Date
 Water
 Thickness
 Air
2/15/2012
 3.67
 35.56
 5.05
2/18/2012
 3.61
 34.29
 4.00
2/21/2012
 3.61
 33.02
 2.44
2/24/2012
 3.55
 33.02
 -0.38
2/27/2012
 3.50
 33.02
 -0.77
3/1/2012
 3.5
 33.66
 -6.72
3/4/2012
 3.72
 35.56
 -4.94
3/7/2012
 3.72
 43.18
 -12.11
3/10/2012
 3.78
 35.56
 8.97
3/13/2012
 3.55
 31.75
 4.16

Graphs

leac-tem1_graph_1.png
leac-tem1_graph_2.png



Photos

leah-sf.jpgleah-scifair.jpgleah-sciencefair.jpg

Data Analysis

The thickness increased on the graph because the snowstorm added onto the top layer of the ice. The air temperature went all over the graph, but at the end of experimenting the air temperature increased way up. The water temperature didn't change as much.

Conclusion

My hypothesis was wrong because the air doesn't effect the water temperature. The ice temperature doesn't effect the water temperature either. The water changes after the hours of sunlight change and the ice fully melts. The air temperature can change the water temperature a little bit, but the graph shows that the water can go either way no matter how warm the air is. That's why my hypothesis was wrong due to the results.


Discussion

In the ten times that I did my experiment, there weren't many trends or patterns that I found. All three variables went both directions as in a high temperature and the next day it's low and then high again. That's because the lake turnover made them go both ways. The water didn't change much though, but there wasn't a pattern with the results.
When doing my experiment, I wish I could have had the ice melt more slowly than it did, so I could get better observations and different results with the water temperature. That wasn't a major problem, but I would've liked if it didn't get so hot in three days. The problem was that the ice started melting around the edges of the lake, so I couldn't get on.
In my background research I described the results and the answer clearly and what causes the water temperature to change.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

I drilled a hole through the ice with the auger.

Abstract

My problem scenario was to know what causes the ice's thickness to change thicker or thin. When snowfall occurs, it makes the ice thickness thicker and hot air temperatures to make it thinner. My hypothesis was wrong because the air doesn't effect the water temperature as much because the water changes during a lake turnover or hours of sunlight change. I took observations on the winter storm and how it effected the ice thickness, because it matters to put that in there. I did that because the thickness got really thick in almost three days, and I needed to explain why after I looked at some background research. I learned a lot about the ice and the lake from my experiment, which was one of the goals I wanted to accomplish.